“The only thing that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed–even covenanted–premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are here on earth.” – Russell M. Nelson
President Russell M. Nelson teaches us to follow the Lord with exactness. I absolutely love the word exact. It leaves no question as to what degree we must follow the Lord. The definition of exact is: not approximated in any way; precise. It’s easy to want to pick and choose, to pat ourselves on the back for the things we do well, and disregard the things that we don’t want to do. The Lord’s way is not supposed to fit our lives, our lives are suppose to fit the Lord’s.
The best example of exactness is math. 2+2 always equals 4. It doesn’t sometimes, or most of the time, but always. As we adopt the attitude of ALWAYS following the Savior, when the calculus test comes along, we will be prepared because we paid close attention to all the mathematical details in our lives. Homeschooling my girls for a couple of years really taught me this principle in depth. Both of my girls were good at math, but one would only worry about the 80% that came easy to her. She was satisfied with not understanding the other 20%, and figured it was enough. I tried and tried to explain to her that as mathematics become more difficult, she would need to have a solid base of the full 100%. The 20% that she discarded was going to cause major problems in her mathematical success. Well, needless to say, she ran into problems a couple years later, and had to go back and relearn the details that she had ignored previously.
We, too, need to follow the Lord 100%! That is how the impossible will be made possible in our lives. What follows are few classic quotes from Russell M. Nelson over the years, directing us to be exact in our obedience in following the Lord.
“Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.”
“My first recommendation is to learn for yourselves who you really are. Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. Record those impressions and review them often, and follow through with exactness.”
“Plead with the Lord for the gift of discernment. Then live and work to be worthy to receive that gift so that when confusing events arise in the world, you will know exactly what is true and what is not.”
“Now, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless each one of you, as though I had my hands upon your heads, with the ability to become the True Millennial you were born to be. I bless you to have the desire and ability to learn your true identity and purpose, that you will expect and prepare to do “impossible” things, that you will be undaunted in your efforts to learn how to access the powers of heaven to help you solve your problems and answer your questions. And I bless you to follow the prophets with exactness, to feel peace in your heart as you do so. I bless you to know and feel how much the Lord loves you and how much confidence He has in you.”
“If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord–to be in His holy house–then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”
“When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him–when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life–you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do.”
“We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change–permanent change–can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He loves you–each of you! He allows you to access His power as you keep His commandments, eagerly, earnestly, and exactly. It is that simple and certain. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change!”
“Set a standard for the rest of the world! Embrace being different! The booklet entitled For the Strength of Youth should be your standard. It is the standard that the Lord expects all His youth to uphold. Now, as His humble servant, I plead with you to study this booklet again. Prayerfully read it like you’ve never read it before. Mark it up. Talk about it. Discuss the standards with your friends. Decide how you can live these standards, your standards, with even more exactness.”
-Sherri Jorgensen
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